Friday, June 19, 2009

We interrupt this blog to bring you a rant.

I have a bit of a rant here. I was reading a review of Turbo Jam and was surprised to see these listed as disadvantages:
  • The official website states that Turbo Jam should not be started without a consultation with a physician.
Any legitimate weight loss program should say that. Most people probably don't see a doctor beforehand, but I'd worry if a site didn't encourage you to get the okay from a doctor first.
  • There are no fat burning supplements offered with the Turbo Jam weight reduction program.
Unless you have a legitimate problem losing weight, proper diet and exercise should be all you need. If you need more, see the above point about doctors. (And before anyone calls me out, yes, I take vitamins and use protein powder, but not in the way that most fitness sites push them. I probably don't even need the vitamins anymore, and just take them out of habit. I use the protein powder to make my own protein bars. There's no reason to buy and eat any of the bars and shakes made by EAS, for example.

The ingredients in a MyoPlex barf: MyoPro (unique blend of whey-protein concentrate from specially filtered and ion-exchanged whey protein, calcium caseinate, milk-protein isolate, taurine, L-glutamine, sodium caseinate, egg albumin, and alpha-ketoglutaric acid [AKG]), calcium caseinate, corn syrup solids, maltodextrin, cocoa, oat fiber, vitamin and mineral blend (dipotassium phosphate, potassium chloride, magnesium oxide, choline bitartrate, disodium, phosphate, beta carotene, dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate, potassium citrate, ascorbic acid, ferrouse fumarate, manganese gluconate, biotin, tricalcium phosphate, niacinamide, zinc oxide, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin a palmitate, copper sulfate, chromium citrate, cyanacobalamin, selenium amino acid chelate, molybdenum amino acid, chelate, folic acid, pryidoxine, hdrochloride, riboflavin, thiamine, hydrochloride and potassium iodide, sunflower oil, natural and artificial flavors, salt, sucralose, mono and diglycerides, medium chain tryglycerides and soy lecithin.

The ingredients in my homemade protein bars: rolled oats, baking soda, vanilla extract, unsweetened applesauce, ground flax, honey, brown sugar, almonds, dried fruit, shredded coconut, vanilla protein powder [whey protein isolate, natural flavor, guar gum, soy lecithin, stevia leaf extract]

My bars taste a hell of a lot better. I win.)
  • Turbo Jam involves a fairly significant lifestyle change in regards to regular exercise regimes.
Duh. Exercise and good nutrition should be lifestyle changes.
  • The official Turbo Jam website is set up more like a massive ad or infomercial than an information source.
They all are these days.
  • If you haven’t seen success following exercise programs in the past, Turbo Jam alone may not have much different to offer you.
That's not Turbo Jam's fault. If you suck, you suck. Turbo Jam's not for everyone so do your research, then do something you love. Except sit your ass on the couch.

Their conclusion:

****Overall, Turbo Jam comes across as a somewhat unique and interesting weight loss program. However, it would certainly be nice for some dieters to have an appetite suppressant or fat burner of some sort to assist with the weight loss process. Furthermore, some individuals may not care for the lifestyle change involved with a weight loss product like Turbo Jam. If you already lead an active lifestyle, this product could offer a novel change of routine, but if your weight concerns are food-related, you may want to look into a diet supplement of some sort.****

WHAT? An appetite suppressant? That's healthy. Fat burner? There's no real evidence that they work. Don't care for the lifestyle change that goes along with weight loss? Have fun yo-yo dieting! Don't get rid of your fat clothes. If your weight concerns are food related, there's no exercise that's going to help you. You cannot exercise off a crappy diet. Just like you can't spot reduce - you can crunch until the cows come home but no one will see your abs until you drop body fat (which means eat better). Oh, and no, you can't "tone" either - what you mean is, again, drop body fat to show off your muscles. You won't get bulky unless you try really, really hard. That weight gain you get when you start exercises or change your routine? It's water. You didn't gain 5 pounds of muscle in a week or two or even a month. But I'll save that rant for a different day, along with the "do you exercise while you have your period" nonsense. Unless you have debilitating cramps, get your lazy butt up and move!

I've been there, and I know it's hard. I struggle with it every single day, but my body deserves better. Of course, I do have "bad" foods now and then but I don't stuff myself with them anymore. I didn't use pills and I didn't use meal replacements or the kind of supplements most programs push. I worked my ass off (quite literally) and made good nutritional choices (most of the time).

I'm not saying my way is the right way. Everyone is different - I had to learn that and find my own path. But this review of Turbo Jam (which ultimately is a fitness program - yes there's a nutrition guide that promotes natural foods and reasonable portions. Oh, the horror of using common sense when trying to lose weight and get healthy!!!) is just horrible. None of the "disadvantages" are a reason not to Jam as part of your fitness regimen.

Okay, rant over for now.

1 comment:

Jess said...

Feel better? ;)

Thanks! I needed that!

ITA with everything you said. Now it's just applying it...